Student Loans, New Zealand

If you have a Student Loan from New Zealand, and you've no idea what to do about the rate at which interest charges are making it grow, listen to this interview ... it's important and finally, something helpful.

Kristina Andersen - Student loans ( 9′ 56″ )

07:10 Kristina Anderson is the country's only specialist adviser on going bankrupt to clear student debt. Student debt has now passed $14 billion and Anderson, from Auckland's Tax Hub Ltd, says it's time the country confronted the issue.

Know that a student loan can turn into 6 figures easily ... one person overseas has a $350,000nz  student loan debt that is mostly made up of interest charges and penalties.

My $20,000nz student loan would have been $100,000nz by 2020.  It's not as difficult as you can imagine.  The New Zealand government needs to deal with this.  New Zealand is a small island country with 4.5 million people ... and we're a people who have traditionally left for Europe after graduating.

Graduates often return to raise their families, bringing all that they've learned and earned while off the Island.  As seen in something as simple and divine as NZ's truly superb cafe scene.  There's not enough work for our scientists, for our graduates. 

Belgian students pay about 1,000euro per year to go to university.  New Zealanders, so far from the rest of the world, need to leave to get the experience that has made NZ an outstanding innovator in the world.

I'm so excited, and a little tearful, that this horrific situation is finally being addressed.  Perhaps some of the 'kids' stuck out here can finally think about going home without being arrested if they try and leave again.

A Meeting in the Park ...

I was out in the park and recognised the woman's dog.  She lives near me.  She stopped, waiting, as I photographed the path. I confessed that we were neighbours and we chatted a while.I love that kind of meeting.  And then, when …

I was out in the park and recognised the woman's dog.  She lives near me.  She stopped, waiting, as I photographed the path. 

I confessed that we were neighbours and we chatted a while.

I love that kind of meeting.  And then, when I asked, she gave me permission to photograph them as they wandered on.

Scenes from an Exhibition, Berlin

Once upon a time ... I spent 3 months living in Berlin, documenting the international exhibition - TASWIR.  The hours were long and intense but the rewards, in terms of people met and things learned, were truly worthwhile. 

I love being given free reign to capture people doing their thing.  Had I known of the possibility, I would have dreamed of being an ethnographer when I was small and out searching for other peoples stories ... or I would have left to be a photographer as soon as I was old enough.  But I only knew of studio portrait photographers and never really thought about who was taking the photographs that appeared in magazines and newspapers. 

My world ... my mind, they seem to have been quite limited back there in small town New Zealand.  Although it was good place to grow up in so many other ways.

But now I'm out in the world and the adventures have been truly grand.  I'm posting this series of photographs in response to my poet friend, Ren Powell's, work challenge over on facebook. 

Today I wrote: A work meme from Ren Powell. Post your work for 5 days and nominate two others each day.  Day 2.  Today I nominated two talented friends, jeweler Kim Arrand, and colour therapist,  Marcia O’ Regan.

Today, I have a life to organise and work to do.  Thank goodness for sunshine and an end to the winter that was ...